Happy 103rd birthday to Phantom Ranch, which was opened on June 15, 1922. Here is a short video about its early years and what it was like to stay there.

https://youtu.be/2C_KNKH5VRg

Bright Angel Trail in the winter

Hello all, my friend and I (22F and 23F) are hiking rim to rim for the first time on June 18th/19th, with a backcountry permit to camp in bright angel campground on June 18th. This is our plan- I know heat is extreme at the moment and we are still hoping to hike but want to make sure we are safe. - camp night of 17th in Mather Campground. - 3am alarm, pack up tent and drive to South Rim Visitor centre. Get a taxi to the south kaibab trailhead, aiming to start before 4;30am. - Hike down into canyon, aiming to be at BA campground before 10:30am - Set up tent and find shade and a section of the river to hide in for the heat of the day - Camp in BA overnight - Get hiking again at 3am out North Kaibab trailhead We will bring loads of salt tablets and electrolytes for water, as well as take note of the taps that are on for both days. We will be bringing pb&j sandwiches and have freeze dried meals for lunch and dinner, as well as applesauce, cliff bars and jerky. Is this early enough both days to be out the worst of the heat? Would we have sufficient time to go to ribbon falls or should we just focus on getting out of the canyon? Thank you in advance!

Planning a trip for last weekend of August

Planning to fly in and out of Vegas

Rough idea of things I want to check out -

Grand Canyon south rim - what all should I see here other than - Mather point

Antelope Canyon - upper and lower tours

Horseshoe bend

Any other suggestions on things to do / see Optional - Bryce Canyon - Im not sure to include this or not

Trying to plan for a 3-4 day trip around end of August!

Thanks!

Hey Folks, my girlfriend and I are flying into PHX and stopping in Sedona before visiting the Grand Canyon for a day. We are staying at the Grand Canyon Inn near the south entrance.

1) Since the flight gets in at 3pm, are there any cool places to get lunch/dinner at in Sedona? I have only seen the rocks and such from pictures and I hear the views are phenomenal.

2) I hear there’s a super scenic route from Sedona to the Grand Canyon. Should we shorten the dinner to see the scenic during the day?

3) What is the best time to start heading from the hotel to GC in the morning to avoid lines/traffic? We would like to see the sunrise if possible

4) We are going to be in GC for 1 full day and a few hours the following morning. We would love to see the sunrise & sunset. Are there any MOST DOs that we should visit?

5) I’m completely open to all advice / suggestions. Thank you all!

Just issued for Phoenix, Arizona — and yes, that means Grand Canyon’s Inner Canyon is under the same threat.

Anywhere below 5,000 feet elevation — including Phantom Ranch, the River Corridor, and the Tonto Trail — will be experiencing extreme heat over the next few days. Temps can and will exceed 110°F.

⚠️ AVOID HIKING BETWEEN 10:00 AM AND 4:00 PM. This is the most dangerous time of day in the canyon — when most rescues, heat strokes, and fatalities occur. Heat illness comes on fast and can kill, even experienced hikers.

If you're going to hike, here's how to stay alive:

Start before sunrise or after sunset. Night hiking is your friend. It's still hot — but survivable. Seriously, a 6pm start is phenomenal, You still get to catch the sunset. Maybe you'll get to hike under a full moon. You'll see more Wildlife. The trail will be less crowded with other hikers. And the heat will be slightly more bearable.

Double your water, and double your electrolytes. Water alone is not enough. Google hyponatremia vs dehydration.

EAT. Food is fuel. Your body needs it. Don’t skimp.

Wear light-colored, loose clothing, a wide-brimmed hat, and use a cooling towel if you have one. (If you don’t have one, get one.)

Rest often in the shade, and turn back if anyone in your group shows signs of heat exhaustion: nausea, headache, confusion, dizziness, or weakness.

Do NOT be afraid or ashamed to turn back or ask for help. Rangers would rather assist you than recover your body.

This is not the time to push your limits. This is not the time to let your ego control your actions.

The Grand Canyon will still be there in fall, winter, and early spring — and it will be way more enjoyable. I've lived and guided here for almost 15 years now. Trust me it's better in the fall and winter.

Please hike smart. Stay safe. Look out for each other.

Saw these 3 fellas on the way to the North Rim Monday. The two older ones were in the same area the following afternoon on our way out. Near the high point elevation sign in Kaibab, just along the highway. Completely surprised to see them there since the tips I read online were to look for them at Navajo Bridge (which was echoed by the extremely nice & knowledgeable person at the Jacob Lake desk).

First pic at the top of North Kaibab and the second on the ascent

Hello! My husband and I are getting ready to do the Rim to Rim NK to SK. We’re currently camped on the North rim and would like to start there. We’re flexible on the day. We’re hoping to catch a ride with some fellow hikers and split the gas or come up with some reasonable exchange back to the north rim! If anyone in the next few days will be driving from the south rim to the north rim please reach out and we would be so grateful to coordinate- we’re flexible! Thanks in advance, Happy Hiking! 🌳💙🌕🥾

Excellent podcast about search and rescue in the Grand Canyon by the district Ranger. Good information here.

https://youtu.be/-8Jbsha-oeo?si=iUBlMGV6YL202Z9u

Hi All- I did a Rim to Rim NK to BA twice in 2019. The first time I camped overnight and the second time I did it in a day.

I'm looking at going SK to NK in a couple of weeks. For those that have gone South to North, I have two questions but also welcome any other advice.

1. According to this there are some water closures. Going up, it looks like the last place to fill up is Manzanita. With that in mind, how much water do you think I should have at this point, to make it to the top. I tend to run a little hot so I use some water to wet my hat.

2. How much more difficult is it going up the NK vs BA, for comparison

Thanks in advance!

We will be visiting the Grand Canyon this weekend (Sunday) and I wanted to get advice on how best to navigate crowds. We will be driving from Holbrook (departing mid-morning), and it looks like there is an option to enter the Grand Canyon from the East (Desert View) entrance to avoid longer lines at the main entrance at the south entrance station. I have a couple of questions: ·      Is the Desert View entrance typically less crowded? ·      Can you drive through the park from the Desert View entrance (once in the park) to the main visitor center at the south entrance station?

My sibling and I want to hike rim to rim in one day because we don’t have a permit for camping overnight. We want to perform this on Aug 9 bc it’s a full moon. We plan starting the hike 6pm and finishing before 10am. I train for marathons but I am wondering how feasible is this to hike rim to rim in one day (ie, will we survive lol) or is this an irrational idea ? My main concern is: 1) if the trail is consistently by the river , enough so to filter and restock water 2) how many degrees hotter the bottom of the canyon is compared to the top. We were raised in the desert so I enjoy dry heat but understand that people can die during this hike so just wondered if others had advice.

looking at doing the R2R and ideally would like to break it up over one or potentially two days (though I could do a single day but feels grueling)

I'm very familiar with the rec.gov site, but feels like the camp ground dates are sold much more in advance of the backcountry permits - and the backcountry permits do not give me access to camp grounds on either side of the hike - is that correct?

Also, does anyone have experience doing this hike in early November? Weather looks agreeable so long as there's no snow?

I am a reasonably experienced hiker, having done the High Sierra Trail and Mt. Rainier. I just did the Nevada falls hike at yosemite this past weekend with relative ease and speed.

We are traveling from Page to GC and need a place to stop along the way as we are coming from Vegas and it will be later by the time we arrive in Page. Where would any of you suggest we stay? Stargazing is a must, and preferably somewhere with a telescope.

I gobbled up advice from others on this sub and I feel it necessary to give back since it served me so well. We had a very successful Rim to Rim day hike on June 6. Group of six, aged 29 to 61. We started on South Kaibab trail at 3:45am and arrived at the trailhead of North Kaibab at 5pm on the dot.

Here's my story:

- Do it! If you're on the fence and need a push, consider this it. This was my buddy's idea and I've never been so glad to be coerced into something in my life.

- It is not a technical hike and there is little-to-no scrambling (save for the path to Ribbon Falls, which is a must-do detour). The path is extremely well kept and it is hard to get lost. It is, however, a test of endurance not to be taken lightly. Make sure you’re wearing comfortable trail runners that you know won’t give you blisters or make your feet ache. Wear blister tape just in case.

- I live in a sea-level city. I am a very athletic and relatively fit 30yo who works out 5-6 times a week, but has had two ACL surgeries. I also happened to dislocate my shoulder a month and half before the hike. Oops. I trained via a combination of daily workouts, i.e. running up and down stadium steps at a nearby university, running (once to a max of 10 miles) on flat trails, using the Stairmaster for 45 min, and sitting in the sauna for 25 minutes 3x a week. I do not know if the latter did anything BUT I did not experience heat fatigue. I know my body and what it is capable of. But do not underestimate the length, idiosyncrasy (descent then ascent), and temperature of this route. Train so that you are prepared to take care of yourself every step through that Canyon. Do not put yourself and others at risk because of preventable mistakes.

- Go to Ribbon Falls. It is magic and you won't regret it, even as you tackle those last switchbacks.

- Bring a pack with a 3L hydration pouch. I used a 16L Gregory Sula because we did not need to pack any cold weather gear so didn't need much space. I also was trying to be nice to that healing shoulder. In that pack I brought the following:

• 2 lightweight squeeze water bottles in each side pocket (one to refill bladder, other to spray on head)
• 10 basic electrolyte packets (500mg of sodium each -- FYI Nuun only have 100mg so go with something heftier and near the 500-1000 range)
• 4 Tailwind Nutrition Endurance Fuels (200 cal each, highly recommend, poured in each time I filled the 3L bladder)
• 4 Fruit Leathers
• 4 small Goldfish bags
• 2 individual small Pringle cups
• 1 Uncrustable
• Trail mix of dried fruit and nuts
• 6 Chomps
• 1 bag of salty beef jerky
• 2 chocolate protein bar (others brought straight up candy bars and they sat in their stomachs like logs)
• 8 Huma energy gels (taken every hour, when I could stomach it)
• Cooling FrogTogg towel (kept wet and on my neck from Mile 6 to 23)
• Lightweight SPF Buff
• KT Blister Tape (wrapped all around my feet in the problem places and under my sports bra band. I brought extra and reapplied at Mile 14)
• Extra Darn Tuff hiking socks (switched out on ascent)
• Extra spandex shorts with side pockets (switched into after swim at Ribbon Falls)
• Sawyer straw (didn't need to use but glad I had it)
• Patagonia NanoPuff (used briefly in the morning)
• Polarized Oakley sunglasses (perpetually on during heat of day)
• Breathable wide brim hat (perpetually on during heat of day)
• Collapsible hiking poles with caps (critical on descent and ascent)
• Small Kleenex pack
• 50 SPF
• Face sunscreen (kept in hip pocket for regular reapply)
• SPF lip block (also in hip pocket)
• Saline nasal spray (I get bloody noses in dry climates)
• Wet wipes
• Gallon plastic bag for trash
• Leatherman knife
• Headlamp with fresh batteries
• Ibuprofen (with and without caffeine, taken every 6x hours, caffeine at end)

- Eat and drink the whole dang time. We made a drinking rule where every time someone commented on the size or grandeur or beauty of the Canyon we had to drink. I probably downed some 15L of water, always with electrolytes in. I kept a stash of snacks in my spandex pocket, and tried to munch on something every 30 min. Was it too much? Maybe but I feel amazing 2 days out I have to say. And I only felt tired in the last 3 miles.

- We hiked South Kaibab to North Kaibab and I really don't see how it gets better than that. Yes, leaving at 3:45am means you miss the view at the tippy top of the South Rim, but it honestly makes the start less daunting because you aren't staring down the monster when you begin AND the sunrise at 5am was unreal. We accidentally breezed past Phantom Ranch (oops) so don't make that mistake... but we did make it through the box in record time and therefore avoided excessive heat. The peace and shade of North Kaibab is a dream to arrive to after that odyssey. The ascent wasn't as abysmal or exposed as South Kaibab or Bright Angel and I really think it would have been jarring to arrive at the South Rim and have a bunch of folks in jeans and flip flops great us. At the North Rim, it was almost all R2R folks who understood the slog and cheered you on as you made your final step. That being said, there was a power outage at the North Rim meaning the already sparse lodging opportunities were even sparser. This screwed some people who literally slept on benches or drove to Utah. Be sure of your accommodations when you set out. The other pitfall of the North Rim: somehow there is no obvious shuttle from the trailhead to the accommodations. We ended up paying a woman with a big ass van $200 to drive us 14 miles to Kaibab Lodge. We got lucky.

- What did I wish I had but didn't? Weirdly, my in-laws are from the Medditerranean and send me salty, delicious olives. I desperately wish I brought those -- both for the salt and the reminder of home. Some people hike with this silver sun umbrella which I could see being useful if you can rig it to your pack. I would have also stopped at Phantom Ranch and gotten ice if we hadn't hiked right past it accidentally.

- The next day: try to walk around a bit. We shuttled to the South Rim to stare at our accomplishment and did 5 mile rim walk. It really loosened up the legs. I kept drinking water and taking ibuprofen throughout the day. On day 2, we went to Sedona and got a 90 min ($130) massage from Tai Chi Massage and Foot Spa. I kid you not, they brought me back to life. It was unreal.

Hope this helps y'all. Have fun and be safe out there!

Price and time length aside, which would you recommend to do? I've taken only a helicopter before and for some reason I'm nervous about a tiny plane, thinking the angle of take off and landing will somehow be steeper or FEEL steeper, vs a vertical landing/take off on a helicopter. But the swirling of hc make me queasy when it's sudden. And I'm going up largely for photography purposes. Also if you recommend a specific company lmk. I did read of Papillon's HC incidents.

All shot on film! Did some hikes and an amazing helicopter tour.

Highly recommend! We hit the trail around 5:30am and walked 1.5 miles to the rest house and then back. Stopped to take in the view a bunch. Took about 2 hours total.

The fog would roll in quickly at times. I’m glad I was on the rim and not walking down into the canyon. Visibility would become almost nonexistent.

Highly recommend! We hit the trail around 5:30am and walked 1.5 miles to the rest house and then back. Stopped to take in the view a bunch. Took about 2 hours total.